Dying New Moon
by Sarudoshi
Summary: reborn in modern-day Japan, the Shinsengumi don't remember their past life fighting for the Shogun and go on with their primary occupations as students/ staff at a high school. so when Yukimura Chizuru transfers to the school, it brings back memories from over 100 years ago. will the Shinsengumi remember everything? mainly SoujiOC rated M for language and some smut R/R please!
1. Sakura Good Bye

A/N: _okay, so for those of you who've read '__**Blood In**__', i mentioned that i was going to put up a fanfic similar to the SSL AU plot of Hakuouki. hope you guys like it and enjoy!_

**disclaimer**: _i don't own Hakuouki; Kawa belongs to me._

* * *

**_Chapter 01: Sakura Good Bye_**

"_What's Up, People!?_" Blared loudly in the dimly lit room.

The young woman stirred beneath the blankets at the noise coming from her alarm clock, grimacing and reaching to slam a fist onto the 'SNOOZE' button.  
_Shit, it's too early_, she thought, turning her back to the alarm clock and curling up into a ball as she vainly prayed that she could sleep longer.

The sound of her door being thrown open made her eyes shoot open; a flat object was thrown at her headboard, landing ontop of her head.

"**OW**!" She yelped, throwing the book off the bed and sitting upright, glaring annoyedly at the perpetrator.

Her brother's black-haired-violet-eyed figure stood in her doorway, arms crossed over his chest.

"Get up, it's time for school." He ordered with the familiar sternness she was accustomed to hearing so early in the morning, seeing her rub her head gingerly as she distinctly felt a bruise begin to blossom from where that damn book had landed.

She groaned and flopped back into bed.  
"Nii-san, come on! It's **MONDAY**, for God's sake; can't I sleep in just another two minutes..?" She quieted when he sighed and moved forward into the room to pull the blankets away from her, making her shudder and cling to her pillow.

"You know the answer to that. Now come on, if you keep whining we're both going to be late." He reminded, scowling sternly at her pouting face.

Her gray eyes narrowed to look like steel; she scoffed and shoved him away as she hopped out of bed. "Fine, fine! Geez, you really hafta lay off the rice, nii-san. I think it's startin' to get to you," she mused in reluctant defeat, rifling through her chest drawers for her uniform clothes.

He made a face. "Just get your clothes on and hurry up. I'll meet you in the kitchen," he instructed, leaving the room as his patience was starting to slip through his fingers again (which it was wont to do when he woke up his sister for school).

She poked her head out the door and started to tiptoe back to bed.

"**_NOW_****, YASAKAWA**!" He bellowed from down the hall, making her flinch; she swore under her breath and cursed him, getting dressed in a frustrated rush, clenching her teeth to keep from spouting more things she would regret later on.

:::::::::oX:::::::::

He glanced at her as he stopped at another stoplight.

She wasn't looking in his direction, instead glaring out at the world through the passenger window of his car, the palm of her right hand supporting her chin as her elbow rested on her folded knee.

A slight sigh escaped him at the sight; she was angered with him and she was pulling the silent treatment.

Since their parents passed, he was the one left in charge of them both and it was his duty to look out for his little sister; even though what he did and the instructions he gave didn't agree with her almost half of the time.

"At least smile, will you? Your face is going to be stuck in that frown the rest of your life." He tried to break the silence, trying to shatter the wall she'd put up since he'd made her get out of bed minutes ago.

She huffed. "What face?" She quipped cattily.

He reached to poke her temple with two fingers. "That face." He replied.

She swatted his hand away, scowling over at him. "Shut up, Toshi," she scolded.

He smirked slightly, exhaling and running his hand through her cropped black hair. "There's my little sister," he mused, seeing her cheeks burn a shade of light pink.

She looked away and snorted. "You're still a jerk." She mumbled.

He rolled his eyes at her remark, taking a turn and seeing the school building a few blocks away from where he was. "You remembered that I'm subbing your _kendo_ class today, right?" He wondered, perking her ears.

She closed her eyes tight and cursed. "I forgot." She grumbled. "Why..?" She wondered, instantly cursing her ancient sensei for breaking his hip for the hundredth time in a month.

"Because Hanabusa-sensei broke his hip again." He reminded, turning to park in the faculty parking lot.

She opened the door and stepped out, hoisting her backpack onto her shoulder as he cut the engine and also stepped out. "Don't remind me; that old bastard needs to freakin' retire all ready," she muttered the last bit, storming ahead of him to the front steps of the school.

He exhaled patiently at her lead and followed calmly with his briefcase in tow, the familiar cacophony of the main corridor welcoming the siblings.

_Here we go again_, he thought.

* * *

"Well don't you look pissy." A voice said before a lanky brunette sidled up to her side and slung his arm around her shoulders.  
She looked up at the brunette's green eyes and grinned lightly, ribbing him. "Shut up, I'm just sleepy that's all." She quipped.

Okita Souji returned the grin and squeezed her shoulders affectionately. "From what; you didn't have a guy over last night, did you now, Kawa-chan?" He wondered, looking at her with a sly glint in his jade-like eyes.

Kawa's cheeks burned and she huffed. "Honestly, you're such a letch. I was forcibly dragged outta bed by a certain oni teacher," she explained, throwing a look over her shoulder to see her brother had gone ahead of them to his class (much to her relief).

He nodded. "Ah, that explains things. I don't blame ya one bit; although the sight of you in bed is a nice view, I gotta admit." He mused in a low and sly tone, making her shiver.

Her cheeks burned again and she scowled, her elbow stabbing into his ribs. "Keep it in your pants, Okita," she warned.

Souji chuckled and winked at her. "One of these days, my stubborn princess, you're gonna be beggin' for it." He remarked nonchalantly with an off-hand gesture.  
Kawa rolled her eyes. "So you say," she mused.

Someone cuffed the brunette affectionately before a head of raven-black appeared. "Now what lies are you putting in her head, Okita-san?" The black-haired boy wondered patiently.

He rubbed his head gingerly, making a face at his good friend. "Geez, Saitou-kun, yer fist is almost as fast as your sword! That hurt like hell," he whined.

Saitou Hajime rolled his eyes, looking at the girl as she laughed quietly. "I'm sorry if Okita-san is responsible for making you late, Kawa," he said for his friend, ignoring the annoyed pout that crossed the lankier of the two's face.

Kawa smiled at him and shrugged. "It's okay, he didn't make me late at all. I was starting to wonder where you were, Hajime," she mused, meeting his cool blue gaze.

He returned the smile and placed his hands in the pockets of his sweater. "Trying to get out of traffic; it's a nightmare this early in the morning, especially downtown." He explained.

She nodded. "I know what you mean. Toshi-nii doesn't complain much about it, though, which is kinda surprising. But then again, he's kind of weird." She shrugged innocently with a sigh.

"Oi, Mr. Ladies-Man, you finished that chem assignment right? Sannan-sensei said it was due by after school today." Souji piped up, planting his elbow on his friend's shoulder, interrupting their conversation.

Hajime briefly shot him a look before he nodded. "I finished it the other day. 'Ladies-Man'? If anyone, I'd believe that term was meant for you, Souji." He quipped, a wry smirk on his lips.  
Kawa rolled her eyes. "He has a point there, Souji," she agreed.

Souji huffed and hugged her shoulders. "So that means my devilish charm is workin' at last on you, princess. It's about time, after all these long wasted years…!" He declared dramatically, lifting his free arm to hold it over his eyes in mock dramatics.

Both black-haired students looked at him patiently.

She huffed and gently shirked free of his grip, hooking her arm around the black-haired boy's elbow. "The hell it is; if anything, you both should know that I'm not the kind of girl that sleeps around." She protested coolly.

Hajime looked at her and smiled, looking away as they were nearing their homeroom. "That much is true. Out of all of us, you're one of the smartest girls in our year." He amended.

Kawa blushed humbly and giggled, leaning into his arm. "Aww Haji-kun, I'm touched!" She teased; he blushed slightly and smiled again.

Souji sighed and groped her, making her yelp and jump slightly. "There, you've been touched. Better?" He said patiently, seeing her cheeks burn a shade of red as she glared up at him.

_**THWACK**_.  
She sighed as her right fist sucker-punched him in the nose; he yelped slightly and pulled away to rub his nose gingerly. "Does _**that**_ answer your question?" She remarked with a huff, a vein on her temple twitching annoyedly.

He rubbed his nose, inhaling the air as a small trickle of blood dropped down his upper lip. "Crystal clear; the _sucker-punch_ wasn't necessary, though." He said, his voice sounding nasal as he pinched his nose to keep from having a larger nose-bleed.

Kawa huffed. "Quit whining, will you? You're acting like more of an idiot than usual," she quipped.

Hajime sweatdropped and looked between his two friends, sighing patiently.  
He was already accustomed to seeing this sort of scene play out between them; Souji would say or do something perverted and Kawa would either sucker-punch him like she just did moments ago or curse him to the lowest pits of hell for his actions/words.

If he didn't know any better, he would've assumed they were brother and sister; but of course, he knew better than to think such a ridiculous thing.

They (the three of them) were friends, and that's all it was. Simple as that.

Of course Souji had been crushing on Kawa since she first transferred in freshman year; out of all the girls in their school, he would pester Kawa just to make her blush and then bark insults or scoldings at him.

But then again, who could blame him? Hajime wondered.  
She was the only girl in their school that wouldn't giggle incessantly and drool over him or the others in their group of friends; she was smart as a whip and she wasn't bad-looking, in retrospect she was very beautiful; she was strong enough to compete with the boys in their _kendo_ class and she had a hell of a sucker punch.

He mentally kicked himself.

Why should he feel this way towards her? Kawa was his friend!  
She was only eighteen, and her brother… well, he'd rather stand in the middle of freeway traffic than ever have to face down against her brother. Okay, her brother was the main reason he didn't dare ask her out. Besides the fact that Kawa was his friend, and he didn't want to disrupt that peace between them by trying to get into her pants.

The nasal sound of the bell ringing overhead jerked him from his thoughts; he grimaced slightly at the noise and frowned.  
"Come on, Hajime," she declared as she dragged him into homeroom by the collar.

He blinked and gently pulled her hand off his collar, meeting her gray eyes. "I'm all right," he protested calmly, seeing her blush as he held her hand in his grip; he also blushed and released her hand, letting her walk away to put her bag away and sit down at her desk.

Souji ribbed him gently as he sat down next to him. "Getting all cozy there, Hajime-kun?" He teased lightly.

Hajime shot him a look. "Don't get any ideas, Souji," he warned, seeing him laugh.

He smiled innocently and sighed, relaxing in his seat and folding his arms behind his head. "Whatever, just let me know if ya two ever need a room." He said calmly.

"Okita Souji!" The familiar voice of Itou-sensei barked shrilly, making the rest of the classroom's occupants jump slightly in their seats, before twenty-seven pairs of eyes flew over to the relaxed brunette in the back.

He looked up with one lazy green eye. "Yo, Itou-sensei." He greeted lightly with a salute.

"Sit straight in your desk, Okita. Or do I have to drag Kondou-san into this?" The effeminate teacher ordered, perking his ears at the mention of his adoptive older brother.

Souji scowled at his blackmail motion, sitting forward in his desk. "Sorry, Itou-sensei." He grumbled.

Itou-sensei smiled lightly and turned to the roster on his desk. "Good. Roll-call; listen up or you'll be marked absent!" He added pointedly, beginning to go down the list of student names.

He threw up his middle finger when their teacher had his head lowered to read the roster for a moment, clucking his tongue. "Bastard transvestite." He grumbled.

She covered her mouth to hide a laugh, glancing at the front of the room and smiling over at her friend. "Got that right; God knows he's hiding a damn tutu underneath that old geezer get-up." She mused.

Souji laughed quietly, smirking over at her. "Maybe we should get him one for his birthday or somethin'," he mused lightly, seeing her giggle.

Kawa grinned and extended her fist out to him, their knuckled locking together.

"Hijikata Yasakawa!" Itou-sensei barked.

"It's 'Kawa', Itou-sensei." She remarked calmly, crossing her arms at her chest.  
He ignored her and went on to the next student.

She stuck her tongue out and pulled the bottom eyelid of her right eye down. "Gaytard fucker." She muttered.

"Okita Souji!" He called.

"Present," he replied lightly with a cat-like smile, watching him duck down to read the roster again. His expression formed into a face. "Your frilly-ness." He muttered.

Kawa snickered.

"Saitou Hajime!" He declared.

"Present." Hajime replied coolly.

Souji huffed and smirked at his friend. "Someone's playing that 'I'm-too-good-for-this-shit' card." He mused.

Hajime glanced up at him from reading the latest issue of Jump. "What's wrong with it?" He wondered calmly.  
He shrugged. "Nothin' at all, Saitou-kun." He said lightly.

Someone knocked tentatively on the door, quieting the room briefly.

"Come in," Itou-sensei beckoned calmly.

The door opened and a girl entered the room wearing the standard uniform of their school – navy skirt, black stockings, brown shoes and a pale blue sweater over a white button-up shirt – with short brown hair and slightly shy, slightly nervous brown eyes stood near his desk; she blushed slightly and turned to their teacher. "Um, a-are you Itou-sensei? I'm supposed to report to your homeroom… I just transferred here." She explained sheepishly, handing him her schedule.

Itou-sensei read her schedule and his eyes brightened. "Ah I see! Well in that case, welcome to your new homeroom. Please, introduce yourself to the rest of the class." He declared lightly, handing her her schedule back.

The girl blushed humbly and nodded. "Um, right." She stepped forward to stand before the room; she wasn't very tall, petite at best, and she had that cutesy kind of look to her that (Kawa guessed) would make boys flock to her like people to a church at Christmas.

She looked up at the class and inhaled steadily. "My name is Yukimura Chizuru, and it's nice to meet you all." She added with a light smile.

Itou-sensei smiled. "Very good; now Yukimura-chan, would you kindly take a seat?" He instructed.

She nodded and went to find a seat, finding a vacant desk infront of Kawa; she sighed a little as she dropped her bag on the floor and plopped down in the chair, looking forward.

"So I take it you're new here, huh, cutie?" Souji wondered lightly, perking the girl's ears; she looked over at him and blushed humbly.

"Uh, yeah…? It's my first time being in Shinjuku." She offered with a sheepish smile.

"Oi, what's with that 'cutie' crap? Don't be so perverted when ya meet new people, idiot!" Kawa scolded, glaring at her friend as her right foot stomped on his toe.

"Ow, geez, that hurt, Kawa-chan!" He whined, rubbing his foot gingerly and looking at her sorely.

She huffed and scowled again. "Idiot letch. I'm sorry if he caught you off guard like that. My name's Kawa, that's Hajime, and the pervert I just kicked is Souji." She apologized, meeting the girl's brown eyes and smiling lightly.

The girl returned the smile. "It's nothing, really. My name's Chizuru." She replied.

"Chizuru, huh? Nice to meet you. Souji always acts like an idiot, so ignore him, yeah? And Hajime's too quiet and stoic to ever talk to girls, so ya might wanna ignore him too." Kawa mused lightly.

Chizuru laughed quietly as both aforementioned boys shot their friend a look.  
"And Kawa is too much of a reckless dork, so ignore her too." Souji quipped.

She shot him a cold look and huffed. "Jerk." She muttered in defeat.

* * *

A/N: _hope you guys liked reading that. there's more to come, i just need to iron out the tweaks. _

_review please! thanks~_


	2. Believers Never Die

A/N: _hope you lot enjoyed the first chapter, and i hope you also enjoy this chapter. anyway, enjoy!_

**disclaimer**:_ i don't own Hakuouki; Kawa belongs to me._

* * *

_**Chapter 02: Believers Never Die**_

The bell rang for first period to end after what felt like an eternity as the students slowly dispersed out of the room in groups or couples or singles.

She yawned and stretched her arms to the ceiling, rubbing her neck gingerly.

"I think my leg's asleep… Kawa-chan, ya might have to drag me to second period!" He wheedled, earning a look from the black-haired boy.

The brunette girl chuckled as the aforementioned girl looked at her friend and rolled her eyes knowingly.  
She walked around her desk to kick his leg.

"Ouch!" He barked.

"Your leg seems fine to me. Come on, get your lazy ass up before it's time for us to go home." She mused, shrugging her bag over her shoulder. "Chizu-chan, where's your next class?" She asked the girl as she trotted to her side.

"Um, History, I think…?" She looked at her schedule a second time before she nodded. "Yeah, History!" She said lightly.

Kawa smiled gently at her and then glanced at her schedule, grimacing. "Great, my brother's class…" She muttered.  
Chizuru blinked and looked at her. "Your brother has the same class as we do, or…?" She wondered in slight confusion.

"No, her brother teaches that class." Hajime explained as he went to her side, the Jump comic tucked under his arm.

"Ehh? No way, Kawa-chan, I didn't know your brother was a teacher!" She exclaimed in awe.

Souji huffed and chuckled as he came to the girl's side.  
"Yep, that's her brother all right; '_Oni_-Sensei' Hijikata. He's kinda scary, though, so ya might wanna stay back a few rows from the board." He declared grimly, glancing at the girl to see he'd spooked her a little and hiding an amused smirk from her brown eyes.

Chizuru shuddered. "Um, Kawa-chan, is he really that scary?" She asked hesitantly.

Kawa rolled her eyes again and scowled over at Souji. "No, he's not that bad. Souji's just messing with your head; he does that a lot, so you'll get used to it. If he does worse, I'm gonna kick his ass for it, though." She shrugged. "But no, my brother's okay. He's kinda strict about homework and assignment due dates, but other than that he's nice." She explained lightly.

Hajime smirked slightly at her. "Your explanation excellence is almost as good as mine is, Kawa," he mused aloud, perking her ears.

She blushed and then chuckled softly, smiling at him. "'Almost', nothing. I live with the bastard; if I wanted to sneak out, I've got a stable alibi." She quipped.  
"You live with Saitou-kun?" Chizuru asked alertly.

Both teenagers blushed the same shade of red.

Kawa cleared her throat and shook her head. "N-no, we don't live together. I was saying that I live with my brother." She explained, blushing still at the idea.

What if they _did_ live together? Eventually? She shuddered and blushed again.

"Whoa, really? Cool! So that means you could know all the answers to quizzes and stuff, then." Chizuru declared, stirring her from her reverie.

She laughed gently and nodded. "If I wanted to be lazy, then sure." She said with an innocent shrug.  
She smiled sheepishly. _So I must sound lazy for saying that_, she thought.

Kawa placed an arm across her shoulders gently. "It's okay, Chizu-chan. Hell, you stick with us, and I'll help out with homework or whatever, okay?" She assured her, acting as an older-sister figure to the girl.

Chizuru blinked and then nodded, smiling at her. "Thanks, Kawa-chan." She said.

She smiled lightly. _Poor kid_, she thought; this girl didn't look to be older than sixteen at most, and she automatically stuck to their little group because Souji was the first to talk to her. _She must not be good at making friends,_ she mused with an internal shrug.

But then again, it wasn't like she herself was very good at making friends, either.

Most of the girls in their year hated her because she knew Souji, Hajime and the other boys in their group since freshman year; because she knew the most popular and most handsome boys in the school she was considered an outcast by the rest of the female body of students. It shouldn't have bugged her, but it did sometimes and it just made her feel like she was infected or something.

She inwardly huffed. _Typical_, she thought as she brushed the feeling away.

:::::::::::::::oD:::::::::::::::

A small group of girls that were in his class glanced at him as he had his back to the classroom, writing down key points from his teacher's edition of their history book.

He glanced back at feeling eyes on him; the girls that'd passed by met his gaze and giggled simultaneously before quickly rushing to their desks.

He rolled his eyes habitually and turned to the board again, glancing down at the book in hand.  
Did women really think he was _that_ handsome?  
He huffed inwardly at the ludicrous thought and banished it away.

Eventually they all turned into figments of his sister, one way or another, and that was probably the one thing that made him shudder.

"Yo, Hijikata-sensei!" A voice declared from the doorway, perking his ears.

He looked to see Souji, Hajime, Kawa and a new girl had entered; he inwardly groaned.

Any class where Souji and Kawa were in was a class that worried him.  
Even though he had known Souji since he was nine, the idea of him and his little sister putting their heads together to cause trouble threatened to give him early gray.

He scowled knowingly at his usual greeting.  
"I see nothing deters _your_ casual demeanor, Okita," he returned, pointing out that he was more casual with his uniform than most of the other students were (aside from being overly familiar with him because they were neighbors).

Souji waved him off lightly, laughing. "Is that any way of greetin' your favorite student? Geez, Hijikata-sensei, I'm hurt!" He declared dramatically, placing a hand over his heart.

Kawa rolled her eyes habitually and elbowed her old friend. "Let some air out of that head of yours, idiot. Nii-san, this's Yukimura Chizuru; she's gonna be in our class now!" She said lightly, ushering the younger girl forward with an arm.

Chizuru looked up at her older brother with slightly wide eyes; he really _was_ handsome. Her cheeks burned as she locked gaze with his stern violet stare that also seemed to widen slightly in something akin to recognition.

As if he knew her from somewhere in the past…

He cleared his throat and nodded slightly. "Yukimura; I'm glad to see some new blood around here. Take a seat wherever you'd like," he instructed, looking kind almost for an instant.

She shook her head and nodded back, blushing more. "R-right!" She declared, following Hajime as he skirted around Souji and Kawa to go to his seat, Chizuru at his heels.

Souji followed them, glancing back at Hijikata-sensei briefly before he shrugged and waved it off.

Kawa looked at her brother to see he was still slightly stunned. "Toshi, are you all right?" She asked quietly, stepping forward to grab his sleeve.

He nodded and shooed her hand away. "Go to your seat." He instructed gruffly, perking her ears.  
She nodded slightly and glanced at him before obeying and going to sit next to Hajime.

Why did he feel like he knew that girl…? Who was she? And more importantly, why did he feel as if he once loved her, in a past life?

_What the hell was going on?_

The rest of class went on as a dull blur to his mind; his thoughts kept wandering to that girl. Of course he dared not look over at her; he wasn't an idiot. It's just… she reminded him, of something he felt he should remember.

Before he knew it, the nasal sound of the bell rang out overhead, pointing out that class was dismissed.

He cleared his throat and closed the book, assigning the homework and watching his students rise out of their desks to exit the room.

His sister looked over at him with a worried light in her eyes; she skirted around passerby students as he looked at the text book again. "Toshi," she began, perking his ears.

He looked up at her curiously. "Is something wrong?" He wondered.

She shook her head, reflexively holding onto the strap of her black backpack. "No, everything's fine. I was just wondering if you were doing okay." She replied, meeting his violet eyes.

He looked down at the textbook for the third time. "I'm all right." He glanced up to see her friends were waiting on her outside of the room. "You'd better get moving, before you're late for lunch." He warned, returning to his usual self.

Kawa made a face and sighed. "Fine, fine. I'll see you for third period," she replied, letting it slide; she patted his arm gently before leaving the room.

Toshi glanced after her leave and sighed a little. "Damn her perceptive skills," he muttered.  
"What's with the long face; did your sister shrink your shirts in the wash again?" A familiar voice wondered, perking his ears.

He looked at the form of his friend Harada Sanosuke standing in the doorway. "Harada-san," he greeted.

Sano smiled good-naturedly at his old friend, walking forward into the room with his arms behind his head. "S' been a while since I've seen you make that face, Hijikata-san." He pointed out lightly.

Toshi made a face and huffed. "It's nothing of your concern," he remarked, trying to dismiss his friend's suspicion; but he knew Sano was as perceptive as his sister, so of course, that vain prayer was instantly shot out of the sky.

He chuckled. "Whatever you say. The cafeteria food tastes like shit here; wanna go scower the city and see what we can find?" He offered calmly.  
He smiled slightly at his offer and nodded. "I suppose a little fresh air wouldn't kill me," he mused.

Sano smiled again and turned to lead the way. "Let's get moving before the lunch hour is over, then," he mused lightly.

Toshi followed until they were walking side by side.

* * *

"Oi, Shinpatsu, I wanted that!" The familiar whine of the youngest of their group, Todou Heisuke, sounded as they entered the cafeteria.

Both Souji and Hajime exchanged a look; Kawa rolled her eyes.

Nagakura Shinpachi chuckled and handed the small carton of chocolate milk to his younger friend, moving forward in the line. "Quit whining so much, Heisuke; a man never makes up excuses for himself." He chided lightly.

Todou Heisuke scowled at him and huffed, "don't pull that shit with me, especially when you're hogging the chocolate milk, Shinpatsu!" He snapped indignantly.

"Um, who are they?" Chizuru wondered from her place next to Kawa.

Kawa smiled patiently. "Just two friends of ours; oi, Heisuke-kun! Shinpatsu!" She hollered, waving to them as they were almost at the end of the lunch line.

"Kawa-chan!" Heisuke replied lightly.

"Hey there, beautiful!" Shinpachi chimed with a wolf-whistle.

She blushed slightly and then laughed. "We'll see you two outside," she offered lightly, turning to head outside of the cafeteria; the freezing temperature inside made having a sweater seem like she was wearing paper to keep her warm.

Besides, the sun really felt good today...

"Heisuke-kun and Shinpachi-san seem really nice," Chizuru pointed out as she followed her, Souji and Hajime at the rear.

"They're okay; Heisuke's your age, actually, Chizu-chan. Shinpachi's a senior like me, Souji, and Hajime, but he's graduating early this winter." Kawa explained calmly, finding a spot beneath a large tree and plopping down, dropping her bag onto the ground.

"Wah, really? That's cool." She mused lightly.

"Yeah really, the lucky bastard. We're stuck in this hell until next summer." Souji mused as he made a face.  
Chizuru chuckled quietly.

Kawa smiled at him, thinking back to her brother's strange face, earlier.

_I hope Toshi-nii is doing okay_, she thought.

* * *

A/N:_ it looks like the memories are starting to come back.. but how will Kawa and Toshi handle it? how will they break it to the gang? _

_until then, review neh? thanks~ _


	3. Starlight

A/N: _yay with chapter three! lol i sound so retarded saying that.. ^^; anywho, _**guys**_! thanks for the reviews~! it feels great to get reviews for the first two chaps. anyway, here's chap three so enjoy yeah?_

**disclaimer**: _i don't own Hakuouki; Kawa belongs to me._

* * *

_**Chapter 03: Starlight**_

_Kendo_ class was raucous as always.

She rolled her eyes at the familiar noise, walking behind Souji, Heisuke and Hajime with her hands in the pockets of her sweater.  
_Typical_ _boys_, she thought.

"K-Kawa-chan, wait up!" A voice declared, perking her ears; she looked over her shoulder to see the same girl she'd "taken under her wing" today, pausing.

"Chizu-chan? What're you doing here?" She asked curiously, letting her skid to a halt before her and drop slightly to grip her knees and regain her breath.

She looked up at the older girl's gray eyes. "M-my third period, is _kendo_ class." She explained in a breath, perking her ears again.

Kawa tilted her head to one side. "Really? I didn't know you were into _kendo_," she began as she helped her straighten.

Chizuru nodded and smiled lightly. "Y-yeah, I've always wanted to learn, and what better than to take the course in high school?" She shrugged.

She eyed her for a second longer before she smiled a little. "All right, come on, then; the boys will have already gotten their gear ready." She offered calmly, shrugging her bag onto her shoulder and leading the way.

"Right!" She nodded, smiling at her and following shortly at her heels.

:::::::::::xO::::::::::

"Yo, Hijikata-sensei, I didn't know they made ya teach _kendo_ too!" The familiar voice of Okita Souji perked his ears and made him tense slightly as he was getting the wooden swords out of the closet.

He sighed quietly and placed the swords on the large cushioned gym mat, straightening to meet the green eyes of the lanky prodigy. "Just for today, Souji; don't get too used to it." He replied wryly.

He chuckled and smiled lightly. "Geez, ya take all the fun out of things, Hijikata-sensei." He said with a sore tone, turning to take his seat next to Hajime and Heisuke as Toshi looked over the note left for him for the fourth time (for some reason he couldn't focus much after second period and it was annoying the hell out of him).

"W-wait, why is Hijikata-sensei teaching _kendo_?" A student wondered at the back of the room.

"Ain't it obvious? That Yasakawa slut prolly begged him to back her up or somethin' like that…" A second student answered snidely.

A hollow '_fwack'_ sounded before the second student yelped a profanity; he exhaled patiently and turned around, already knowing the perpetrator.  
In retrospect, he knew her very well...

His sister stood over the boy she'd decked, arms crossed over her chest and a stern glare on her brow (he almost shuddered at seeing the striking resemblance between himself and the girl).  
"Actually, Hanabusa-sensei is out sick, and Hijikata-sensei just happened to offer to sub for him." She explained calmly; her gray eyes lifted to meet his violet stare. "Isn't that right, sensei?" She wondered, flashing a light smile.

Toshi smirked faintly and returned the nod.  
"That's right. Now from what Hanabusa-sensei instructed, you're required to continue your mock sparring matches. No gouging out eyes, no low blows, nothing that would give you a one-way ticket to expulsion from school." He explained patiently, nodding to the wooden swords placed on the mat. "Since there's nothing more to say, begin." He declared.

The students dispersed into partners and went to grab the wooden swords placed on the mat.

The student that'd made a remark about his sister glanced up at the intimidating teacher and flinched when he saw a cold look cross his face before he and his friend skulked away from him.

Toshi smirked to himself.

His eyes widened slightly as he saw the same girl from before, the one that had befriended his sister, coming forward to take a wooden sword; he shook his head and tried to regain his normal composure. "Yukimura, I had no knowledge that you were in this class also." He declared, perking her ears.

Chizuru looked up at him and smiled lightly. "Yeah, um I know; Kawa-chan didn't know, either. Funny, right?" She laughed weakly.  
His face softened at her humble response and he nodded. "Yeah." He replied, involuntarily meeting her brown eyes.

Their eyes locked again.

For a second, he almost thought he saw cherry blossoms floating in the air around her; he thought he saw that her hair was longer, long enough to be put into a ponytail.

He thought he saw she carried a short sword at her left hip.  
"_Hijikata-san_…"

Her cheeks burned. "H-Hijikata-sensei?" She spoke, perking his ears.

Toshi cleared his throat and looked away from her, jerking himself back to reality; he fumbled for the note again, looking down at it.  
"Have fun, Yukimura." He dismissed her, trying not to sound off.

Chizuru blushed and nodded, looking away. "_Hai_, sensei." She replied, turning to go find Kawa.

He glanced back at where she'd stood seconds ago, looking past the students to see her talking with his younger sister.

What the hell was _wrong_ with him?

* * *

The ride home was quiet.

She looked up at him as he seemed to be off in his own world, his hands glued to the steering wheel and his eyes staring forward at the traffic.

"Toshi?" She spoke quietly, vaguely wondering if he even heard her.

"What is it?" He replied, surprising her a little.

She looked at the way his fingers seemed to cling tight to the steering wheel, frowning softly. "I… Is something wrong? You've been quieter than usual today." She asked in the same quiet tone.

He glanced at her to see she was looking at him with concern shining in her eyes and etching lines in her beautiful face; he shook his head and looked at the street as they came to a stop light. "I'm fine." He replied, his voice soft.

She leaned closer to look at his face; he blinked and scowled slightly in her direction.  
"What's that for?" He demanded irritably, watching her sit back in her seat and cross her arms at her chest.

"You're lying." She mused.

He lifted a brow. "I'm lying..?" He repeated.

She nodded wisely. "You always tell me 'I'm fine' when you lie." She slouched a little in her seat and sighed. "I've always known that about you, ever since we were little." She added softly, her eyes turning wistful.

Toshi looked at her and huffed softly, his face softening as he also seemed to look wistful. "I'm that easy to read, huh?" He guessed, looking away as the light turned green.

Kawa smiled a little and reached to punch his arm.

"Ow, hey! What the hell did I say about abusing the driver?" He demanded annoyedly, scowling at her as he released the steering wheel of one hand to rub his arm gingerly.

She looked at him squarely, slightly surprising him; those gray eyes of hers reminded him of steel.

Of clashing blades.

He saw her smile softly, peeling her gaze away from him and folding her arms behind her head.  
"I know something's bothering you. Even when we were little, if something was bothering you, I was the first person to tell Mom. You'll spill sooner or later, Toshi-nii; I know you." She stated confidently.

Toshi looked over at her to see she had the look of utmost confidence and tranquility adorning her face; he sighed and shook his head. "Now I see why it was a bad idea for you and Souji to get along so well." He grumbled.

Kawa laughed lightly. "Keep your eyes on the road, _oni_-sensei." She teased.

He smiled at that, reaching to tousle her hair.  
"I heard about what you did earlier to that kid in _kendo_." He saw her grimace and glance up at him, getting herself ready for a scolding; he sighed. "Nice job." He said, perking her ears.

She looked up at him with wide eyes before they softened; she smiled lightly and huffed. "Well he deserved it, callin' me useless…" She grumbled the last bit.

Toshi smirked at her words, his hand leaving her head to return to the steering wheel. "I could imagine you would've been a hell of a right hook in a past life." He mused.

Kawa blinked and then made a face, pursing her full lips. "What's _that_ supposed to mean..?" She asked.

He shook his head, perking up when he faintly heard her stomach growl; she blushed and scowled down at her flat belly, pouting. He sighed.  
"Pizza or Chinese?" He asked, perking her ears.

She looked away and pulled her phone out. "Pepperoni with mushrooms and green peppers?" She returned, flipping it open to look for the number.

Toshi nodded. "Sounds good," he replied.  
Kawa smiled slightly up at him.

* * *

A/N: _not much to put here. i might change the main pairing though, but we'll see how that works yeah?_  
_anyway, you lot know the drill; thanks~_


	4. Russians

A/N_: here's chapter four. hope you guys enjoy! ^^_

**disclaimer**_: i don't own Hakuouki; Kawa belongs to me.  
_(edit_: "_**Russians**_" is copyright to _**Sting**_)_

* * *

**_Chapter 04: Russians_**

__

The whole earth looked to be burning.

She sprinted as fast as her feet could carry her, her left hand glued to the hilt of the black katana_ poised at her right hip; her eyes searched the ruined land around her for any sign of life._

The sound of blades clashing rang in her ears; she turned towards the source of the familiar noise, skidding to a halt as a soft gasp escaped her.

A figure wearing a blue and white haori_ stood facing off against an enemy that had white hair and red eyes; the enemy leered and bared his sharpened canines, spittle drenching his teeth._

The figure in blue roared angrily as he disengaged their connected blades and sliced at the open belly of his opponent; blood flew in the air as the creature fell back.

He panted, gripping the handle of his katana_ tight as he glared down at the felled monster, stilling and turning around when he felt her eyes on his back._

She widened her eyes in surprise.

The face of her brother stared at her, smudges of blood here and there on his handsome face; his black hair was long and was kept out of his face by a high ponytail.  
"Toshi…?" She asked.

"Take aim, and _**FIRE**__!" A loud male voice bellowed from behind._

"Yasakawa, _**MOVE**__!" Hijikata shouted as he dove for her, throwing her behind his back as he blocked her from getting hit by the rain of gunfire that hit him._

Blood made the air pungent around her as it stained her clothes.  
"**TOSHI, NO**!_" She screamed fearfully._

:::::::::oD::::::::

"**Toshi**!" She cried, sitting bolt upright in bed.

She looked around her room wildly to see that the hellish earth in her dream had disappeared and was replaced with the darkened walls of her bedroom.  
A relieved sigh escaped her; she threw the blankets off, slipping out of bed and opening her door to see the hall was covered in the darkness of early morning.

She tiptoed to his room, opening his door to see him sleeping soundly in bed, turned away from the door and facing his nightstand; she quietly walked towards her brother, shaking his shoulder. "Toshi," she whispered.

He grabbed her wrist sharply, his violet eyes snapping open; he looked up at the owner of the wrist he'd grabbed to see his sister's gray eyes staring down at him.

He sighed and relaxed his grip, lifting his hand to run it through his black hair. "Do you have any idea of what time it is…?" He demanded, starting to sound irritable again.

"I know. I just, I had a nightmare." She replied, lowering her gaze.

His violet eyes moved to her again and he exhaled, sitting up. "Please tell me it had nothing to do with dancing _odango_ this time…" He began to ask.

She shook her head. "No, it wasn't that. It was scarier... And it involved you." She added softly, perking his ears as she sat on the edge of his bed.  
He looked up at her sharply. "How?" He asked.

She lowered her gaze and recounted her dream to him.

Both siblings were quiet after she recounted her dream, letting the quiet night air envelop the room.  
"Maybe you paid **too** much attention in my class," he muttered quietly.

She made a face. "Yeah, maybe I did. But Toshi, what does it mean?" She asked, looking up at him.

Toshi looked at her sleepy but curious eyes, recalling the feelings he was experiencing earlier at work.  
_Chizuru_… He shook his head and frowned. "No, that's not it." He grumbled.

Kawa raised a brow. "What's not it?" She asked.

He sighed and looked down at her again. "If you breathe a word of this to Souji or anyone else, I'm giving you extensive homework for the rest of the term." He quieted and told her about the things he'd been seeing, about Chizuru and the short sword at her hip, about the cherry blossoms.

She quieted as well and put a finger to her chin in thought. "It's like we lived a past life… Like in the Edo period." She remembered the blue _haori_ he'd adorned in her dream and her eyes widened. "Shinsengumi." She whispered.

His eyes widened as well; he'd read over that word a thousand times in his studies in college, and in the textbooks for his class, but it never sunk in like it did now. The Bakufu, Tokugawa, the Meiji period… it was all clicking together!

"Vice-Commander of the Shinsengumi," she mused softly, eliciting a shiver that rolled down her arms; he stirred at the words, looking down at her.

"What was that?" He demanded.

Kawa looked up at him. "Vice-Commander of the Shinsengumi. That was you… Toshi, you were the Vice-Commander! In my dream, I saw you wearing the same blue and white _haori_ the members of the Shinsengumi wore…" She declared.

_Vice-Commander Hijikata_… A slight smirk formed on his lips. He liked the sound of that.

"Chizuru," she said quietly, perking his ears; he looked at her again before looking away. "That was in the past." He said, stirring her.

Kawa looked up at him. "Toshi, you loved her. Your past self was in love with Chizuru. What're you trying to say by that…?" She demanded quietly.

Toshi shook his head. "It was in the past, Kawa. What happened almost two hundred years ago is history; and so is that part of our old lives." He stated.

She scowled slightly and looked away, sighing. "I suppose you're right. But Toshi, if you tried…" She began.

"'_But_' nothing. In case you're forgetting something, people back then could love someone older or younger than their age and the world was okay with it. Now in this day and age it's illegal, especially if the person you love is a minor." He reminded sternly, locking gaze with her gray eyes.

She lowered her gaze and quieted. "I know. Toshi," she looked up at him.

He glanced at his alarm clock and sighed. "It's late. Go back to bed, okay? We're both going to pay for this in the morning." He pointed out patiently.

Kawa nodded and slipped off his bed, looking at him and smiling for her brother. "Are you gonna be okay?" She asked, perking his ears.  
Toshi looked at her and smirked. "Would I have been the Vice-Commander of the Shinsengumi if I wasn't?" He returned.

She smiled again and sighed. "You've got a point. Good night… Hijikata-_dono_." She added quietly, smiling again before she left him at peace and went back to bed.

He watched her leave and sighed, flopping back into the pillows and looking up at the ceiling.  
The girl's beaming face appeared in his mind's eye, her brown eyes filled with a happiness he knew he could never give her.

A frown crossed his face; he sighed and turned over on his side. "It's in the past," he reminded himself, returning to a dreamless sleep.

* * *

A light knock sounded on the front door.

She trotted out of the kitchen, rubbing sand from her eye, and opened the door.

He lifted up two DVDs to her eyes. "Action movies?" He offered, his green eyes giving off that puppy-dog expression that sometimes made her giggle.  
She rolled her eyes patiently at his offer and sighed, opening the door wider for him to come in. "You and your stupid action movies," she mused with a shake of her head.

Souji made a face akin to a pout as he looked at her. "Well if ya don't wanna watch them, why'd you let me in?" He returned.

Kawa smiled patiently. "Because you're my friend, and it's too early to argue over what kind of movie to watch." She looked at him. "Isn't Kondou wondering where you are?" She wondered with a tilt of her head, referring to his older brother.

He shrugged.  
"Y'know how the principal is; he said somethin' about having lunch with Sannan-sensei and Harada-sensei. This left me with free time to pester my favorite princess!" He declared lightly.

She smirked at him and took the DVDs from his hands, leading the way to the TV. "How many times have I told ya that I'm not a princess? Geez, Souji…" She said patiently, dropping the DVDs on the coffee table and plopping down on the couch.

Her phone buzzed on the coffee table, the chorus of the song "_Reimei_" ringing in the air.

He looked at the phone and smirked. "Cute; I never knew you were into anime that bad, Kawa-chan." He mused, watching her grab the flip phone and open it.

She stuck her tongue out at him and then turned to the phone. "Hey," she greeted the caller, leaving him to go talk in the kitchen.

Souji watched her leave and sighed to himself.

He'd known Kawa since they were nine, and even though she was shy when they first met, he always felt like he'd known her since before then… Like if he'd been friends with her forever, it felt like.

She had a smile on her face when she returned to the living room, stirring him from his reverie.

"Your boyfriend called you?" He wondered teasingly, perking her ears.

Kawa cuffed him gently, rolling her eyes. "Nope, and you know I don't have one, idiot. That was Hajime; I told him you were here and he said he wanted to come hang out." She explained, watching him rub his head gingerly from where she'd hit him.

Souji made a face and huffed lightly. "Sounds like he's got a crush on you, Kawa-chan," he mused, perking her ears again.

Her cheeks burned slightly and she huffed. "Don't make it out to be anythin' like that, Souji; we're just friends." She defended.  
He rolled his eyes and sighed. "Whatever. Oi, where's the _oni_-sensei?" He wondered, changing subject.

She shrugged. "He's holed up in his room, working on grading papers." She replied.

Souji smirked lightly. "Oh yeah; I bet he's prolly giving me an A+ for the work I did…" He began to say.

"More like a B- for your _half-assed_ _work_." The aforementioned teacher's gruff voice interjected, making him wince slightly.

Kawa looked up at her brother to see he was holding an empty mug in one hand and the other hand in the pocket of his jeans.  
"That doesn't surprise me. Nii-san, Souji and Hajime and me are gonna hang out here, just to let you know." She informed him, steering his slightly-annoyed gaze away from Souji to meet her gray eyes.

Toshi nodded, walking past her to put his mug in the sink.  
"Don't get too rowdy, or one of you is going to be thrown out like a cat." He warned over his shoulder as he grabbed a water bottle from the refrigerator, twisting the lid open as he closed the door with his foot, taking a swig.

"Aww, so that means nothin' like sex, I suppose?" Souji wheedled, perking her ears as well as his own.

He spat out the water, coughing as she blushed beet red and whacked her friend over the head with her right fist. "Pervert!" She exclaimed.

"**OW**, that hurt, Kawa!" He barked indignantly.

"_Definitely_ not that! Don't even think about it _either_, Souji!" He threatened annoyedly, his violet eyes promising a swift death to the younger man if he so much as touched his baby sister.

She glowered daggers at her friend as he rubbed his head again, perking up when someone knocked on the door; she walked away to answer it as her brother took another sip of water.

Her friend stood at the door, looking at her blushing face and the vein twitching slightly on her right temple; he sweatdropped. "Do you want I come back tomorrow, or…?" He began to ask.

She shook her head and sighed. "No, it's okay, Haji. Souji… well, you know how he is." She smiled weakly.

He nodded and smirked slightly. "I don't want to know what he pulled this time, do I?" He wondered, stepping inside as she ushered him in.

Kawa sighed again and closed the door. "Nope." She replied.

A sneeze sounded from the couch. "Geez Kawa-chan, yer already gossiping about me this early in the day." Souji mused aloud as he rubbed his nose gingerly.

"Idiot, why would I gossip about you to Hajime? We **both** know you're a nutcase," Kawa remarked with a roll of her eyes.

Hajime sweatdropped again and sat down next to Souji.  
"She has a point, we do both know you're one chemistry lab experiment away from being a bipolar sociopath." He amended patiently, looking at the DVDs and reading the synopsis on the back of the cover.

She glanced to the kitchen to see her brother had left to go back to his room, much to her relief.

"Some friends…!" Souji sniffed.

Hajime rolled his eyes and handed the first DVD to Kawa. "This one seems good." He mused.  
Kawa smiled at him and nodded, straightening from sitting on the arm of the couch to put it in the DVD player, tossing the remote at him.

"Here, you're the one who decided on the movie." She declared, retreating to plop down next to Souji on the couch.

Hajime smirked slightly at her deigning him the rightful remote-wielder, hitting 'PLAY' on the remote when the main menu screen showed.

* * *

A/N: _just a little humor and perverted comments from Souji ;D_

**Souji**: /huffs and grins got a problem with it? review 'kay? i'd hafta kill ya otherwise~ ;3

**Kawa**: /sucker-punches him just review please. thanks~!

**Souji**: geez, that hurt..! D|


	5. All of the Lights

A/N: not much to put, so here's the next chap. enjoy!

**disclaimer**: _i don't own Hakuouki; Kawa belongs to me._

* * *

**_Chapter 05: All of the Lights_**

Her feet skidded into the mat beneath her as she gripped the handle of the wooden sword, panting; her gray eyes were trained on her opponent.  
He smiled a little and lowered the sword in his hand. "You're getting faster." He mused, his blue eyes calm.

She huffed and grinned lightly, her fingers squeezing the handle. "Is that praise coming from the almighty Saitou-kun? It's very rare to hear that coming from you of all people, y'know." She teased.

Hajime made a face, seeing her laugh. "Don't let that inflate your head, Hijikata." He remarked, a smirk forming on his lips.

Kawa grinned again before she lowered the wooden sword and sighed. "Whatever, if you're that jealous come at me." She mused lightly, a challenge shining in her gray eyes.

He huffed and then grunted, lunging at her; she blocked his blows each time they sailed at her, narrowly missing the point of the wooden sword as it lightly grazed her left cheek.

She hopped out of the way as he moved closer, blocking and trying to strike; her eyes widened slightly as she could practically feel the sheer speed and power behind each of his attacks.

For a second, a brief second, she saw a familiar pale blue haori adorning his shoulders, and a killer glint in his blue eyes that made her flinch.  
Saitou Hajime grunted loud as he saw the opening and sailed into her; her eyes widened again.

A muffled grunt escaped her as he pinned her into the wall, their blades locking together.

His shoulders heaved from the exertion on his body and his blue eyes gleamed like cold sapphires as he stared into her slightly widened gray eyes.

She panted as well, looking at him with steely gray eyes as she gripped the handle of her sword; she was still blinded by the same vision that had made her guard diminish moments ago.

"_Yasakawa_," he spoke; his raven-black hair was longer, held back by a loose ponytail; a pure white scarf coiled around his shoulders, covering his neck and the bottom of his chin.

"Kawa," he declared, stirring her; she blinked before shaking her head, looking at him to see his blue eyes were concerned, maybe even worried. "Kawa, are you alright?" He asked gently.

She nodded, allowing a weak smile. "Yeah, I'm fine." She replied, looking into his gaze.

Sweet gods, he was twice as beautiful with his hair longer; she inwardly shivered at the idea.

His hand cupped her cheek, stirring her from her reverie again; she widened her eyes slightly and blushed when his fingers stroked her cheekbone, keeping her eyes on his.  
"H-Hajime," she began softly.

He looked at her and smiled. "Your hair looks like it's getting longer," he mused.

She blushed again and huffed. "Shut up," she grumbled, looking away.

Hajime chuckled. "Always the _tsundere_," he muttered.

Kawa blushed more and pouted. "Whatever." She remarked.

"Oi, Kawa, you in here?" A voice declared, shattering the small moment they had.

He pulled away reluctantly, lowering the sword to his left side; she cleared her throat and scratched the back of her head, smiling sheepishly at him. "In here." She called.

Okita Souji sighed. "Geez, there you are; we were wonderin' where you were," he declared as he entered the room with his bag slung over his shoulder.

Yukimura Chizuru followed him inside, a light sigh escaping her. "Okita-sempai, you hurried out of the classroom so fast!" She complained.

Kawa scowled at her friend, raising a brow. "What's the hurry for, Souji?" She wondered.

He shrugged. "Yer brother was lookin' for you, he said that he and Harada-sensei were going to stay late for a meeting with Kondou-san so he wanted me to tell ya to go home without him." He explained.

She nodded and sighed in lament, scritching the back of her head in frustration. "Damn it, Toshi… Fine, whatever." A lightbulb went off in her head; she looked at her blue-eyed friend. "Oh Hajime-_kuun_!" She declared, clapping her hands together.

He had a sinking feeling she was going to ask him something major; he looked at her slowly. "Don't start…" He began.

"Please, please, please? I won't drive, I swear! It's just a lift..! Please, Hajime-kun?" She begged, bowing her head and lifting her clapped hands up in pleading.

Hajime looked at her for a long moment before he sighed, slapping his forehead. "You owe me big after this..." He declared.

Kawa threw her arms around his neck. "Thank you, Hajime!" She declared lightly.

He blushed slightly and smiled at her, letting her slip free. "Don't mention it. Get your stuff, come on." He replied, seeing her nod before she hurried to grab her uniform clothes from her locker.

Souji chuckled after her leave, smirking at his friend. "You do realize you're giving both of us a lift, right, Hajime-kun?" He reminded, perking his ears.

Hajime blinked before he sweatdropped. "Oh, right, I almost forgot that you lived in the same complex…" He mused, inwardly cursing Souji for his dastardly motives.

Chizuru blinked. "Wait, Okita-sempai, you and Kawa-chan live in the same apartment building?" She asked, looking at the older boy.

Souji nodded and smiled lightly. "'Course," he sighed and clasped his hands together. "She's the girl next door; and she's so damn gorgeous, she can't resist me!" He cried dramatically.

A dirty sock was thrown at his face, slightly surprising both Hajime and Chizuru; the sock lightly flopped to the floor when he threw it off and let it fall.

"Quit being so melodramatic, idiot," Kawa declared impatiently, arms folded across her chest as she neared her friends.

Chizuru looked at him and giggled as he looked at her with a pout on his face. "Um, Kawa-chan, can you help me with a homework question? Shimada-sensei gave our class a textbook assignment, and I can't figure out this one math question…" She asked, looking at the older girl.

She blinked before she nodded. "Yeah, sure. If you like, you can hang out with me at my place and we'll work on our homework together." She replied.

She widened her eyes slightly as her face brightened. "Wah, thank you, Kawa-chan!" She said lightly.

She smiled lightly at her. "No problem." She shrugged.

"Oi, I need help with homework too, Kawa-chan..!" Souji wheedled.

She rolled her eyes. "You're a genius; you can figure it out yourself." She stated patiently.  
He huffed. "Yer bein' mean today, y'know..." He muttered, looking sore.

Hajime rolled his eyes at his friend's childish antics, exhaling. "Let's get moving before it gets dark," he suggested, walking past the trio to lead the way to his car.

Kawa trotted after him, Chizuru at her side; Souji sighed and ran a hand through his hair, following his friends out of the room.

::::::::::xD:::::::::::

"Ooh I love that station!" He declared as he reached past the front seat to twist the knob to the right.

She smacked his hand away, scowling. "_Bakkero_, I called shotgun remember? If anythin', I'm the only one who can change the station!" She scolded.

"Neither one of you are changing the station and that's final." The driver quieted his friends, shooting a look from his friend's green eyes to her gray eyes before he turned the stereo off.

Kawa huffed and sat back in her seat, crossing her arms at her chest. "Yer so mean, Haji-kun," she pouted.

Souji rolled his eyes and smirked lightly, relaxing in his seat and folding his arms behind his head. "Get used to it, princess; yer only bein' treated that way because he's a sucker for you." He said lightly.

Hajime coughed as his cheeks burned a shade of pink; Kawa glowered at Souji from around the headrest, her cheeks also burning.

"I told you to not call me that!" She barked, looking away from him.

He chuckled softly and looked at the sophomore as she was looking through a book she'd pulled out of her bag; he ducked his head to read the cover. "'Medicine for Dummies'…" He read aloud.

She balked and closed the book, looking at him with a slightly flushed face. "E-eh? Okita-sempai," she began nervously.

Souji smiled lightly and poked a finger at the book she held to her chest. "Planning to be a doctor or somethin'?" He wondered.

Chizuru nodded, looking down at the book in her arms. "My uncle, he's the head of a clinic in Okinawa, and I've always liked helping people, so I wanna be a doctor when I finish school." She explained.

He lifted a brow. "Really? That's cool; I bet you'd be great at it." He mused lightly.  
Her cheeks warmed again at his compliment and she smiled lightly. "Thanks, I hope I will be!" She said.

Kawa chuckled at something Hajime said in the front seat, stirring her attention away from the brunette.

Chizuru felt slightly jealous of the older girl; from what she'd seen her first few days in their high school, she saw that Kawa was popular with the guys in the group of friends she had.  
Okita-sempai and Saitou-sempai didn't say anything, but she had an underlying feeling that they both felt something for the older girl; was it love? She didn't know, but that jealousy was overcome with the subconscious need to belong somewhere.  
Her uncle was never around to look after her, and her brother had transferred to another school in Okinawa to be closer to their cousins, so she felt alone most of the time in that apartment.

"Oi, Chizu-chan, you there?" A hand waved infront of her face.

She blinked and looked at the owner of the hand to meet the aforementioned senior's gray eyes; she unbuckled her seatbelt and stuffed her book into her backpack. "Y-yeah, sorry!" She said sheepishly.

Kawa smiled gently and stepped back to let her get out of the back seat, closing the door. "Come on," she urged, turning to lead the way to the front door of the apartment complex.

Souji followed calmly at her heels, Hajime at his side, with Chizuru at the rear.

* * *

He sighed a little in relief when the elevator landed on his floor, entering the corridor and withdrawing his keys from his pocket.

Work had been dull enough, and the after-school meeting he'd had with Kondou was like piling another cinderblock onto his tired mind.  
He twisted the key in the lock, undoing the lock and opening the door.

"Pervert, I hate it when you do that!" His sister's voice barked indignantly as a hollow '_thwack_' sounded.

"**Ow**, that hurt, Kawa-chan! I was just bein' nice!" Her target whined and sounded like he'd pouted.

"... Honestly you two, it's a shock we've finished with the homework." A third voice said patiently.

"_Stay outta this, Hajime!_" Both his sister and the second voice (one he knew way too well) exclaimed in unison.

A vein twitched annoyedly on his temple.  
"What in the damn hell are you idiots **doing**?!" He demanded as he threw the door open, making the occupants of the room jump.

His sister's gray eyes blinked before she rounded her gaze on her friends. "It wasn't me, Souji started it!" She declared, scowling at him.

"I didn't start _shit_; ya just took what I said and figured it was dirty!" His neighbor argued with slightly annoyed green eyes.

Toshi sighed and ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "I don't care who started it, I'm finishing it! And Yasakawa, for the love of God, don't maim Souji." _Yet_, he inwardly added, scowling sternly at his younger sister's gray eyes.

Souji stuck his tongue out playfully at her. "Pfeh, see, Hijikata-sensei will stick up for me!" He teased.

**_THWACK_**.

"I'm only doing so because your _brother_ is my **boss**, dumbass. Otherwise I'd **gladly** let her turn you into a human punching bag." He growled flatly, cracking his knuckles.

A large red bump swelled on his head. _Geez, his fist is worse than Kawa's..!_ He thought, rubbing his head gingerly. "_H-hai_, sensei…" He said in defeat, inwardly wondering if having a hellish sucker-punch was genetic between the two siblings.

Kawa huffed and stuck her tongue out at him, smiling lightly. "So does that mean you'll let me do that for my nineteenth birthday, nii-chan?" She wondered, looking at him with hopeful eyes.

Toshi glanced at Souji's sore expression and fought a proud grin, looking at her. "We'll see." He said calmly.

"Hey, whose side are you **on**, Hijikata-sensei?!" Souji yelped.

Hajime fought a snicker. "Apparently not yours, Souji." He said lightly.

"Shut up, Saitou!" He barked.

Chizuru was doing her best to not laugh so hard at the scene but she couldn't hold it, laughing at the trio of friends.

"Oi, what're ya laughing at, Chizuru-chan?" Souji wondered.

She looked at the bump on his head and smiled, covering her mouth to hide a giggle. "S-sorry, Okita-sempai." She chortled.

Toshi's eyes rested on her and he smiled inwardly at seeing her laugh; for some reason, he felt more at ease when she laughed. He cleared his throat, jerking himself out of his reverie. "Yukimura, I'm surprised to see you were dragged here; knowing my sister, it was probably against your will." He said, perking her ears.

Chizuru looked up at him, her cheeks burning slightly in embarrassment at having him hear her laugh so loud; she smiled sheepishly. "U-um, actually no! Kawa-chan offered to help me with my homework, and she said it was okay for me to come over." She replied with a weak laugh.

Kawa looked down at her math textbook, pretending to be very interested in a certain equation.

Toshi stole a look at his sister, making a mental note to lecture her later. "How… thoughtful, of her. Yasakawa, did you finish your homework?" He asked patiently.

She blinked and then smiled lightly, nodding. "Yep, all done. Hajime and I were the first ones finished." She said.

He smiled slightly; _of course_, he thought. Next to Souji and Kawa, Saitou Hajime was one of his sharpest students. If Souji didn't spend half his time pestering Kawa, he would be getting the good grades that Hajime got.

"I'm surprised you didn't finish early too, Okita." He mused, noticing the bump on his head had lessened.  
Souji smiled easily and pointed at his head. "It's all up here, Hijikata-sensei. Eventually it'll get onto the paper." He said lightly.

Toshi rolled his eyes; _lazy idiot_, he thought. "Of course. Just make sure "_eventually_" means "before tomorrow afternoon"." He replied pointedly, walking past the four to put his briefcase in his room.

Kawa ribbed her friend. "Idiot, you know he'll brain you after class if ya don't turn in the work." She reminded.

Souji chuckled and smiled his cat-like smile at her. "Tha hell he will. Hijikata-sensei wouldn't try and knock me into a coma like that…" He said lightly.

**_THWACK_**.

"_I_ _wouldn't_, would I?" The aforementioned "_oni_-sensei" wondered as he walked past him to get a glass of water from the kitchen.

Souji held his head gingerly, a second large bump swelling next to the first one, making him look like a panda with uneven ears.

Kawa and Chizuru laughed.

Hajime smiled smugly at his friend's misfortune.

"Are you three planning on staying long? It's getting late." Toshi wondered, looking at the four students curiously, his eyes lingering on his sister.

Kawa looked at the time on the cable box and sweatdropped.

"Suppose Hijikata-sensei is right. Chizuru, do you need a lift home?" Hajime mused, looking at the girl.

She blinked before her cheeks warmed and she nodded. "Yeah, if it's not too much trouble." She replied sheepishly.

He smiled slightly and shook his head. "No, it's not too much trouble. Come on, I'll drive you home." He offered, putting his things in his bag and straightening to his feet.

Chizuru did the same and slung her bag over her shoulder. "O-okay," she said, trotting ahead of him to the door; she stopped and turned to bow slightly. "Thanks for letting me come over, Kawa-chan, Hijikata-sensei." She said, smiling humbly.

Kawa smiled and trotted over to open the door for them, ruffling her hair. "No problem. See you tomorrow, Chizu-chan." She said lightly, seeing her smile again before she stepped out into the corridor.

Hajime followed, looking at Kawa and smirking gently. "See you tomorrow, princess," he said with a teasing tone in his voice.  
Her cheeks warmed; she huffed and shot him a look. "Just drive safe, otaku." She grumbled.

He chuckled softly and closed the door behind his leave.  
She sighed softly and ran a hand through her hair. "Idiot otaku," she muttered.

"'Princess'? I thought I was the only one to call ya that!" Souji wondered as she retreated to the couch.

Kawa huffed and made a face, her cheeks warming. "Shut up, I told ya to not call me that." She remarked.

He smiled and sighed, running his hand through her hair. "Now, now, ya know it's hard for me to keep from callin' you 'princess' when it makes you blush." He teased.  
She blushed again, crossing her arms at her chest. "Honestly, Souji," she griped.

Souji smiled pleasedly and twirled his finger in a lock of hair. "Yeah?" He wondered lightly.  
Toshi rolled his eyes. "Don't try anything, idiot." He warned grimly, perking her ears.

He made a face. "Awww, fine. Yer so mean, Hijikata-sensei." He griped.  
She laughed softly, ribbing her friend. "As you deserve, pervert." She teased gently.

Souji pouted at her, making her giggle; his eyes softened and he ruffled her hair again.

* * *

A/N: _just a little humor to lighten things up.. in the form of braining Souji. xD poor Souji, i love the bastard don't get me wrong, his character is too goofy to keep from adding some beatings from the Hijikata siblings.. ;D. *_huggles Souji_*_

also, for those of you who've reviewed my other story,

Ameyuri_, i apologize for not updating the next chapter. i've kind of been busy today with chores... you know how that is right~? anyway, the update is coming soon so look forward to that!_

_until then, you lot know the drill. thanks~_


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